recorder.sayforward.com

Hey! You're looking at the front page of recorder.sayforward.com which is a temporary storage place for articles I didn't read/evaluate yet. I also use this platform to prepare new content to post sayforward.com where audio/video/image material is hosted completely on my server. On the recorder instead, media is loaded from external sources, so don't get mad if some of them don't work anymore.

Please note that the content posted here is explicitly intended to help me remember certain things, i.e. it is not intended to entertain you in any way (although you certainly will find stuff that fulfills this criteria).

Sony announced that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) would focus on creating FTP games. Ok great! We can expect more FTP games from Sony in the future, but whats this?! Capcom is entering the FTP market as well? via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

An underrated importance of video games becoming mainstream was the standardization of control design and today’s post examines how this came to be with some lessons for new designers. via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

Microtransactions have become important marketing tools for both PC and mobile titles. However despite having the same purpose, there are unique considerations that must be taken into account based on the platform. via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

What game monetization approaches are mobile game companies using, and which ones work? How can game makers strike a balance between annoying users and collecting some cash for their good work? via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

For decades, branching conversation systems have been a powerful tool in game narrative. In part one of a series dedicated to the art of branching dialogue writing, we define terms and discuss what kinds of games benefit most from such systems. via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

I have learned one very important thing from Loop: all games should have an ambient rain slider in their sound options. I’ll be contacting our John to get it on his next list. It is that most tranquil, serene of things and matches this simple puzzle game marvellously. You move hexagonal pieces around until lines […] via Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Designing for possibility, not inevitability. An excellent story has been a fundamental part of many great video games, but are there more ways for developers to create stories in collaboration with players? via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

Pretty much every game these days not aimed at children wants to compare itself to Dark Souls, because, well, Dark Souls is awesome. But few manage to actually capture the sense of palm-sweating dread and majestic wonder that catapulted From Software’s experimental action-RPG series into an industry mainstay. Titan Souls may do just that, if this early trailer is any indication.

Developed by Chroma designer Mark Foster and his two cohorts at Acid Nerve, Titan Souls has one of those concepts that’s so bloody simple it’s a wonder no one has thought of it before. It essentially takes the premise of Shadow of the Colossus - wherein you must track down and slay several gigantic creatures in an otherwise uninhabited world - only the combat system is quicker, more reflex-driven, and much, much less forgiving.

Like Shadow of the Colossus’ obvious inspiration, Punch-Out!!, Titan Souls’ combat is extraordinarily simple to grasp, but difficult to master. You’re only granted one hit point and one arrow as you embark on your foolhardy quest. Thankfully, it’s a magic arrow and you can hold a button down to have it magically return to you. The downside is you can’t move when you’re summoning it, so you need to be very, very careful with your timing and positioning.

A series about what and how I teach. In this lesson: understanding the uses and limits of framing games by their rules, plus an exercise on the rules of Pac-Man and a mini-essay on games and formalism. via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

Shape of the World is an “artistic exploration game where the world grows around you.” It’s being made by three game developers working in Vancouver: lead dev Stu Maxwell, who previously worked on Relic’s Space Marine; Athomas Goldberg doing “creatures”, who previously worked on animation systems at EA; and Brent Silk on sound and music. […] via Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Good lighting can improve the visual quality of a game significantly. In this blog post Ill describe various techniques for dynamic 2D character lighting that are very easy to implement and dont require any additional assets (e.g. normal maps). via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

You have seen the result of single app’s first month on the market without any marketing. Now it’s time to confirm or disapprove these results by the data of the second app. Will it be better or worse? via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

Containing some of the Final Fantasy VII characters ensured plenty of attention to Ehrgeiz’s 3D fighting action. Each pugilist has a different attribute special move: be it a traditional projectile, a wieldy weapon or transforming into an animal. Includes a quest mode where you enter the dungeons to fight through various rooms - getting well stocked at the village store is advisable before descending. There are also some mini games which act as a nice diversion from the beast pummelling action.

Highly original title seeing you play as demolition man on a host of buildings with varying amounts of TNT. Key to successfully toppling the decrepit tower blocks is the positioning of the dynamite, yet care must be taken to not spray the area with debris thereby reducing your score. An arcade mode is also present allowing you to destroy the bulidings slightly less cerebrally using tanks, helicopters and cannons. Of course being a Japanese title your not limted to skyscrapers: shops, submarine oil rigs, even UFO’s come into the equation.

In the deepest, darkest basement of Harmonix HQ, Alex Rigopulos is trying to make a rhythm game out of a Cherry Bakewell. He’s added coloured buttons to it, he’s patting it to a mamba beat, he’s jabbing the glacé cherry and making an airhorn noise with his mouth. They’ll try to turn anything and everything […] via Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Take the infrastructure of any large city. Take New York City, for example. The dozens of systems NYC depends on to thrive – water works, trains, bridges, mail, cargo, electrical, data – are each as complex and fascinating as a meadow. Read the rest

It’s called the PO-12. It’s $50. It’s absolutely tiny – a little stand props it up, inspired by the Nintendo Game & Watch. And it’s already sounding like a drum machine. The drum machine first revealed to the world at a panel I moderated at Moogfest is finally, after manufacturing and customs delays, making its … Continue →

The High-Tech Warfare Behind the Israel - Hamas Conflict: Taco Cowboy writes The Israel — Hamas conflict in Gaza is not only about bombs, missiles, bullets, but also about cyberwarfare, battles of the mind over social media, smart underground tunnels and cloud-based missile launching systems. The tunnels that Hamas has dug deep beneath Gaza are embedded with high tech gadgets, courtesy of Qatar, which has funded Hamas with billions to equipped their tunnels with intelligent sensors which are networked to control centers enabling the command and control staff to quickly notify operatives nearby that IDF units are advancing inside a certain tunnel, allowing for rapid deployment of attack units and the setting up of bobby traps inside the tunnel. In addition, Hamas has automated its rocket firing system using networked, cloud-based launching software provided by Qatar which can set off a rocket from any distance, and set them to go off at a specific time, using timers. “Anyone who thinks they have dozens of people sitting next to launchers firing rockets each time there is a barrage is mistaken,” said Aviad Dadon, a senior cyber-security adviser at several Israeli government ministries. While Doha is allowing Hamas to use its technology to fight Israel, it’s their own cyber-security the leaders of Qatar are worried about. For the Qataris, the war between Israel and Hamas is a proving ground to see how their investments in cyber systems have paid of — Qatar is very worried that one of its Gulf rivals — specifically Saudi Arabia — will use technology to attack it, and Qatar spends a great deal of money each year on shoring up its cyber-technology.

We all know that you should not expect miracles when publishing your app or game on appstores. But how bad is it really is?
How many downloads would an app get if it was not promoted or marketed?
And which markets are best to provide visibility for apps via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

It’s ChinaJoy week. Some of you might be visiting China for the first time at this occasion. This summary guide will help you better grasp the current state of Digital China, and the gigantic opportunity it represents. via Gamasutra.com - All Blogs

The revelation that Facepunch Studios were not working exclusively on Rust, but daring to prototype new games like Riftlight too (spoiler: this happens literally everywhere), sent some people on the Internet into a bit of a tizzy. “They are probably going to be even angrier to find out that we have three other prototypes being worked […] via Rock, Paper, Shotgun